2000
#99,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Foli
A surname derived from an Italian place name or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 307 Americans carry the last name Foli. That puts it at #77,203 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,116,464 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Foli surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
307
1 in 1,116,464
Census rank
#77,203
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
268
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 268 bearers of the surname Foli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 77203rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Foli, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Foli
The surname FOLI has its origins in Italy, with records indicating it first appeared in the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "folium," meaning "leaf" or "foliage." This suggests that the name may have been associated with occupations related to forestry, horticulture, or agriculture.
Early instances of the name can be found in medieval Italian documents, such as property records and tax rolls. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Pietro FOLI, a landowner from the Tuscan region who lived in the late 1300s.
During the Renaissance, the name FOLI gained prominence in the Italian city-states. Notable individuals from this period include Lucrezia FOLI (1468-1537), a renowned poet and scholar from Florence, and Giulio FOLI (1492-1564), a skilled architect who contributed to the design of several churches and palaces in Rome.
As the name spread across Italy, variations in spelling emerged, such as FOLLI, FOLII, and FOGLIO. These variations often reflected regional dialects and linguistic influences.
In the 18th century, the FOLI family established itself in the Kingdom of Naples, where they held positions of influence and wealth. One prominent figure was Gennaro FOLI (1712-1788), a successful merchant and landowner known for his philanthropic endeavors.
The 19th century saw the FOLI name spread beyond Italy's borders, with members of the family migrating to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was Antonio FOLI (1824-1902), an Italian-born artist who settled in Paris and gained recognition for his landscape paintings.
Throughout its history, the surname FOLI has been associated with various professions, including writers, artists, architects, and entrepreneurs. While not as widely disseminated as some other Italian surnames, it has left a notable legacy in the regions where it took root.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Foli
Among Census respondents with the surname Foli, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Foli bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Foli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.7% · 168
- Black or African American32.5% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 10
- Two or more races1.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Foli
Foli appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#82,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 227
+58 bearers (+34.3%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 16,306 places
2020
#77,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 268
+41 bearers (+18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 5,705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #99,214 | 169 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #82,908 | 227 | 0.08 | +58 bearers (+34.3%) | Up 16,306 places |
| 2020 | #77,203 | 268 | 0.09 | +41 bearers (+18.1%) | Up 5,705 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Foli surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #82,908 | #77,203 | 6.9% |
| Count | 227 | 268 | 18.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.09 | 12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Foli bearers went from 227 to 268 (+18.1% change). The surname moved up 5,705 positions in the national ranking, going from #82,908 to #77,203.
FAQ
Foli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Foli?
Name Census estimates that about 307 living Americans carry the surname Foli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,116,464 residents.
How common is Foli?
Foli ranks #77,203 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 268 people with the surname Foli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (307), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Foli.
Has Foli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Foli went from 227 recorded bearers to 268. That is an increase of 41 (+18.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #82,908 to #77,203.
What does the Census say about the background of Foli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Foli, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Foli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.7% (168 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Foli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.7%), Black (32.5%), Hispanic (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Foli (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Foli mean?
A surname derived from an Italian place name or location. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Foli (0.09 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Foli?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.